Carton closing mechanism



Aug. 3, 1954 A. v. voN HAASE 2,685,158

CARTON CLOSING MECHANISM Filed sept. 2, 195o 5 sheets-snee: 1

FIG-I JNVENToR. ANT/IOM V/l/ AMA 5E ATTORNEYS Aug. 3, 1954 Filed Sept. 2, 1950 A. v. voN HAAsE 2,685,158 CARTON CLOSING MECHNISM `5 sheets-sheet 2 FIG-2 A INVENTOR. Wfl/04W V04/ /MA 5E ATTORNEYS Aug. 3, 1954 A. v. v oN HAASE CARTON CLOSING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 2, 1950 FIG-3 JNVENTOR. VO/V HAA 5E FIG.

BY WM5@ Mm ATTORNEYS Au'g. 3, 1954 A. v. voN HAASE CARTON CLOSING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept. 2, 1950 INVENTOR. 4/1/7//0/1/ Y VO/ H/JA 5E BY W] 770351 fna,

ATTORNEYS A. V. VON HAASE CARTON CLOSING MECHANISM Aug. 3, 1954 2,685,158

Filed Sept 2, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG-ll l INVENTOR. WH0/Vy Vm/ #AA 55 BY A ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 3, 1954 UNITE-D STATES VPATEN'I' oFF! c-E 'CARTON CLOSING MECHANISM Anthony V.von Haase, Parma Heights, Ohio Application September 2, 1950, Serial No. 182,950

12 Claims.

This .invention `.relates to a carton closing :mechanism and 'in particular to such a mechanism for closing'a carton having a'cover comprising two sections, the sections Ibeing hinged gonopposite side edges of the carton.

'An object of the invention is to 'provide a "mechanism which will quickly and positively close a Vcarton having a divided cover.

Another object is toprovide a mechanism which has positive means whereby to guide the cover sections of a `carton into final position.

Another object is to provide a mechanism which will operate efficiently on cartons having `cover retaining Atongues as well as'those which have not.

Another object is toprovide such a vdevice embodying :safety Afeatures which vprevent damage 'to veither carton or 'machine shouldanimproperly `packed carton be sent through the device.

Another object is to provide a carton closing mechanism which may be `adjusted to operate efhciently on cartons of `various sizes.

Other objects and advantages lwill become apparent from the following description and the Yaccompanying y'drawings Y0f an 'embodiment of of Fig. 2 'showing a carton as it 'enters and the 'coversengage the cam mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 3 but "showingithe position ofthe parts-after vthe carton :has progressed somewhat further;

Fig. 5 is lan enlarged fragmentary view 'of la portion ofFigJZ-showing theparts when a carton is positioned as iin Fig. '3;

Fig. 6 is-a fragmentary view similar `to Fig.'5,

.but showing the `parts when .a cartonghas ladvancedto'the .position shownin Fig. 4;

Figs. sand are sectional-views taken'on the lines 'I-'l and :8 8 respectively of Fig. 5;

Fig. 9 is a sectional View taken on the line 9-9 :of Fig. 2;

Fig. l0 is a perspective view'of atypical carton which may v.be closed by the mechanism illusetrated in the preceding figures; .and

Figll is a perspective view of a portion of a .modified carton.

In Fig. 10,-there is shown a carton of the gen- .eral type with which thepreferred Yembodiment .of thefpresentinvention-may beused. The illustrated carton is described in Patent No.

2,191,180 issued to L. W. Reaume for Carton Structure, and therefore no detailed description will be made herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention is not limited to use with any particular carton or any particular type, but may operate eiciently on any number of carton structures of various sizes, shapes and constructions. The carton illustrated in Fig. 10 is shown merely as an example of a typical carton which may be closed by the hereinvolved invention and comprises a substantially rectangular cardboard box I2 having two cover members I3 hinged on opposite longitudinal sides I 4. 'Each cover member I3 has integral therewith, a tongue I5 which in the closed position is bent at a right angle to the cover member I3 and fits within the slot of a U-shape guide member I6 which is supported by the end walls II. In some cartons of this general type, the U-shape member I6 is omitted and the end walls Il slotted as at I6' to hold the tongues I5 as shown in Fig. 1l. Such a modified carton may be closed with equal facility by the closing mechanism an embodiment of which is hereinafter described.

In general, the preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a frame structure which carries a pair of cam plates, a pair of wings actuatecl by levers contacting the'moving container,

and a rapidly rotating centrally located disk.

The cam plates serve to raise the covers upwardly from the position shown in Fig. 10. The wings cooperating with their actuating levers serve to bend the tongues I5 inwardly, and the disk with its projections bends the tongues I5 downwardly and leads them with'the help of cams into the channel I6. Then, pressure means forces the covers down into nal position.

In use,vthe carton closing mechanism is generally mounted adjacent a conveyor on which the cartons travel, and, in the embodiment described herein, is adapted to vstraddle such a conveyor and close the cartons as they are passed through the device. The method of mounting will be later described in detail, but, for the present, it is suflicient to note that the mechanism is adjustably mounted on the conveyor side rails It.

As a carton (such as that shown in Fig. 10)

vriding `on the conveyor I9 enters the closing mechanism, the cover members I3 are picked up `by the cam plates 2!) which are `supported on "a framestructure, the `top kmembers or" which :are designated by the numeral'ZI. VPickup rods .i2-2 'are `provided to raise 'and guide rthe 4cover members I3 up to the cam plates 20 Vshould-the cover member hinges be so loose as to allow the cover members I3 to drop to a lower position. Each cam plate 2G is similar in conguration to that surface generated by two lines which intersect at right angles when a first line is revolved about a second line and simultaneously advanced along said second line. In other words, at the point where a cover member I3 first intercepts the plate, the surface of the cam plate is substantially horizontal. The plate then twists so that at its rear portion the upper and lower surfaces have been reversed. The two cam plates are, of course, twisted in opposite directions so that each cover member I3 will be turned inwardly toward the center as it follows the curvature of the cam plate in much the same manner as a cam follower.

As previously pointed out, each cover member I3 has a tongue portion i5 integral therewith which nts within the U-shape member I6 when the cover members I3 are in the closed position. In order to insure proper positioning of the tongues I5, each side of the closing mechanism includes means to turn said tongue portion inwardly when the cover members reach a substantially upright position. Each cam plate has such means associated with it, of course, and, for the sake of clarity, only one such assembly will be described, it being understood that the two assemblies are mirror-images of each other. Each cam plate 2i] has a slot 23a therein through which projects a lever 25 so positioned as to be intercepted by the leading edge of the cover member I3 as it passes along the cam plate. Referring particularly to Figs. and 6, it is seen that each lever 25 is shaped as a conventional bell crank having the arms 25a. and 25h, though in the present instance it does not operate in the usual manner. Pivotally mounted at the iulcrum 26 is a link 21 whose other end is pivotally mounted at 28 on an extension 2m of the frame structure 2 I. A link 29 is similarly mounted at an intermediate point 3G on the arm 25D, and its other end is pivotally mounted at 3I within the slot 32 through the frame extension 21a. Both links are slidably supported by the U- shape member 33 which is bolted to the frame extension 2m. As previously mentioned, the leading edge of the carton cover member I3 intercepts the straight edge of arm 25a of the lever 25 and exerts force against the arm as the carton moves along the conveyor. This force causes the lever 25 to move to the right as seen in Figs. 2, 5 and 6, and this in turn causes rotation of a wing 35. As previously mentioned, a link 21 is pivotally mounted at the fulcrum 26 of the lever 25, and also mounted on the same pivot is a slotted lever 36. A pivot 31, is rotatably mounted in bushings 38 in a bracket 38 secured to the frame structure 2l, and bears a cross piece 31a (Fig. 8) on its lower end which rides in the slot of the lever 33. Also secured to the rotatable pivot 31 is the wing 35 which is generally of triangular shape. It is apparent that as the lever 25 is advanced to the right (Figs. 5 and 6), the slotted lever 36 will be rotated in a clockwise direction about an axis through the pivot 31. Because the bottom portion 31a of the pivot is captive within the slot of the lever 36, the pivot 31 will be rotated, as will the wing 35 carried thereby. The wing 35, when rotated` in this manner, passes across the cover member and bends inwardly and downwardly the tongue I5 as seen in Fig. 4. It should be noted that lever 25 holds the cover member I3 firmly against cam 2U so that wing 35 may bend the tongue I5 as set forth above. The leading edge 35a is slightly higher than the trailing edge 35D and so efficiently sweeps the tongue I5 into position. Referring again to Figs. 5 and 6 and particularly to the finger 25, because of the diiierence in distance between the pivotal points 25 and 30 and the points 28 and 3|, the movement to the right causes the arm 251; to be pulled downwardly, thus changing the angle at which the carton cover member contacts the arm 25a. Initially, the arm 25a holds the cover member I3 against the cam plate 2B so that arm 35 may bend tongue I5 downwardly and inwardly, but as the carton moves along and pushes the lever 25 farther and farther to the right, the angle between the cover member I3 and the arm 25a increases until finally the cover member slips off or past the arm 25a.. In some instances, it may be desirable to have the cover member I3 slip ci the arm 25a. more quickly than usual. Therefore, the position of the pivot 3i may be varied by fixing it at various predetermined points within the slot 32, and thereby changing the angle between the cover member I3 and the arm 25a. A spring d, pivotally attached between the end of the arm 25h at 4I and the pin 42 on the fra-me extension Zia, returns the lever 25 and the wing 35 to their original positions, after the cover member has released the arm, and a dash pot 45 cushions the return movement.

As the carton passes onward from the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 4, the cover members are directed downwardly and still farther inwardly to the dot-'dash position thereshown. At this point, the cover members I3 are acted upon by means which bends tongues I5 downwardly and leads them with the help of cams 23 into the Ushape member IB. However, for this final closing action to take place efficiently, the carton must be accurately centered with respect to the longitudinal center line of the mechanism. The centering means, in this case, comprise a iixed guide rail 5I] and a spring-mounted guide rail 5I. Two fixture units 52, located one at each end of the mechanism, control the position of the rail 50, and each comprises a rod 53, one end of which is permanently attached to the rail 5B, and a bracket 54 which supports the rod 53 and is secured to the conveyor side rail I8. Collars 55, which are secured to the rod 53 by means of set screws 56, bear against the bracket 5d and allow initial adjustment of the rail 5I) for various widths of cartons. The spring-mounted rail 5I is also supported by two iixtures 51, located one at each end of the machanism. Each of these iixtures comprises a rod 58, permanently attached at one end to the rail 5I, which is slidably supported by a bracket 59, secured to the conveyor side rail IB. A spring 50, which surrounds the rod 58, is interposed between the collar 5I and the bracket 59, and thereby biases the rail 5I toward the left as seen in Fig. 3. The collar 6I can be adjusted on the rod 58 after loosening the set screw 62. If the rail 5B is initially correctly positioned, the center line of a carton passing between the rails will coincide with the center line of the disk 65 hereinafter described.

The means which bends the tongues I5 and leads them into place within the U-shape member I6 comprises a rotating disk 35 having a plurality of protuberances 65a on each side thereof and a peripheral knife-edge. This disk 35 with the help of cams 25 leads tongues I5 into member I6. The disk 65 is mounted on a shaft 66 which is supported in suitable bearings 61 secured to the top frame structure 2|. Power is Aftransmittedfrom a motor szthrough-a reduction @gear system 169 Lto azpulley .='||l'v mounted on. the .re-

. .duction systemfsha'ft'rBSa. v.Afbelt 1 connects the sitionshown in Fig. 4.

.Ag pressure means vapplies downward -pressure on covers-| 3 after -they reach the dot-dashposition in Fig. 4, pushes .the tongues |5- along the `guiding opposite side surfaces of disk 165, y.and then forces the Vtongues .l5 down into the U- 4shaped member |.6. This pressure means comprises ,portionsof cams 129, a pressure plate 15 :and a roller-16. rlhe pressure plate 'l5 is mounted on the rear portion of the cam plates 29, and `has'fmounted on it fthe'supports Tl. The roller 'I6 is rotatably mounted on a xed shaft `'I8 which lpasses through thesupports Y'||, the shaft ends being mounted in a manner to be later described. vIt would appear-that since the roller supports 'H are xed to the pressure plate 15 which in turn .isvxedzto the cam plates 29, the downward pres- -sure applied by the pressure plate and roller will .beequal to the weight'ofthemachine. However,

the mechanism is mounted in such a manner that this is nottrue and the downward pressure is controllable.

In order to prevent damage'toeither carton, `contents or machine should an improperly packed carton be sent throughthe device, an irnproved method of rear 7end mounting is used vwhich embodies a oating type construction. A plate '89 is xed-to eachside rail nI8 and has mounted on ita post 8| having a positionable 4collar 82'and integral clip 83. The'vertical rear .frame structure members`2|b are slotted :and bolts through said slots fasten each-member 2 b to a member 84 which is parallel to said member 2|b, and a `spring Y95 Aextends from ieach of :the previously-mentioned clips 83 to a bracket 86 mounted on the bottom of the corresponding vmember 84. As seen in Fig. 2, each bracket I-89 has a slot 86a cut therein through-which thepost 9| Vextends to limit sideward motion of the rear .end of thedevice. .It is .now apparentthat the force exerted because of the weightof the machine is opposed by an upward forcedue `to the spring 85. B'y adjusting .the positionof the collar 82, the upward opposing 'force may be varied and the proper resultant downward force vobtained to rrnly close'the'cartonvcover members `without the use of excessive pressure. Also, :by using such a floating construction, Athe mech- .anism can be adjusted to ride over improperly packed cartons lwithout causing ill eiects. Y

The present invention also contemplates Vthe provision of vertical adjustment lmeans whereby the mechanism .maybe adapted foroperating on cartons o-f various heights as well as various widths. To this end, assemblies areprovided at .both front andrear which are interconnected so that all are adjustable by movement of a single lever. At the front,` a bearing block-90 is attached to each frame member2l and'haspivotedfthereon a bell crank 9| attached at the `point 9m. The i plates 92fare'xed to the, side rails I8, and each has the fulcrum 9| b of the bell .crank-'9| pivoted thereon. .Attached to :the vother .arm -of each 1 Yportion a -similar amount.

crank 9| at the'pointA 9 c'is fa linkk 93 fwhich 'conlnectsthe assembly toa rear assembly. Itis apparent'that if thelinks'9'3`are movedto theright or left (Fig. 1), the front portion of the carton. closing mechanismwill be lowered or raised. .It is also apparent that if the link 93 is iXedrin .positionvand the rear part of thefmachine raised or lowered, the entire'machine will-pivot about the axis dened by the point 9 Ib. Thispivoting .action .takes placewhenever .the .rear portion is raised on its spring mounting byva carton passing under the pressureplate 'l5 and rollerl'lS.

The mechanism is raised and lowered by means of a lever 95 located at the right far side of theV machine as seen in Fig. 1. A quadrant 96 is mounted on .the frame structure 2| and a clamp 91 adjustably secures the lever 95 to the quadrant. A bell crank 98 ris made integral with the lower end of the lever 95 and is mounted at its fulcrum on one end of the previouslymentioned shaft 'EB (which carries the roller v1b) and a similar bellcrank 99 is mounted on the other end. Pivotally connected to the rear arms of the bell cranks 99'and 99 are links |99 whose other endsare similarly connected to the members 84 and 10|. The forward arms of the bell cranks 98 and 99 are pivotally connected to the links 93 previously mentioned when describing the front raising and .lowering assemblies. Referring to Fig. 1, it isseen that when the clamp 91 andthe bolts whichsecure the framemembers 2lb to the members 84 are loosened, the entire mechanism can/be easily raised or lowered. supposing the lever 95 to be moved forward or to the left as seenin Fig. 1, the shaft 18-will be lowered as will the rear part of the frame to which the shaft is secured, and the link 93 will be moved to the right thus lowering the front Hence, the upper horizontal member of frame 2| will always be horizontal regardless of theheight of the frame structure and -will always be parallel to the box conveying surface of conveyor r|2. The rear and rfront parts of the frame willalways move together and raise lor lower an equal amount. By adjusting spring 85, the ideal closing Ypressure vcan be applied to cover mem-bers I3 of any height box at vany corresponding height of frame 2|.

It is now `apparenti-hat* afcartonV closing mech- .anism is providedvwhichis readily adaptable to operate on a multiplicity of carton sizes and strucftures. It operates efficiently and with a minimum vpossibility of .breakage of damage to either machine, carton or contents. .It-is, of course, ob-

vious that lvarious changes in detail'and arrangev'mentof parts can loe-made by one skilled in the xing a carton having two cover members hinged at oppositesides Yof Isaid carton, each said .cover Vvmember having along its .free 'edge a .tongue adapted-to -it'a U-.shape guide slot when said 4cover members are'closed, said mechanism comprising-conveyormeans for advancing said carton along a path, a frame, a pair of cam plates carried by fsaid .frame .adjacent said A-path and adapted toguide .said cover members inwardly .to their closedposition, and a pair of rotatable wings, means supporting said wings to rotate 'aboutseparate upright axes one on .each side 'of the vcarton lpath "and `adjacent `thereto, operating 'means for lsaid wings, Hsaid Operating means including Ian element V*positioned "to "be engaged by an advancing carton and movable by and with the latter whereby said wings are adapted to be actuated by the movement of said carton along said conveyor means, said wings being adapted to position said tongues for entering said guide slot.

2. A mechanism o the class described for closing a carton having two cover members hinged at opposite sides of said carton, each said cover member having along its free edge a tongue adapted to nt a U-shape guide slot when said cover members are closed, said mechanism comprising means for advancing said carton along a path, a pair of cam plates adjacent said path and adapted to pick up said cover members and turn them inwardly toward their closed position, a circular disc, and means mounting the diseJ for rotation in an upright plane substantially paralleling the carton path, the disc being disposed to be engaged on opposite sides by the tongues of the two cover members while the latter are being turned to closed position whereby the rotary movement of the disc guides the tongues into the carton slot.

3. A mechanism of the class described for closing a carton having two cover members hinged at opposite sides of said carton, each said cover member having along its free edge a tongue adapted to t a U-shape guide slot when said cover members are closed, said mechanism comn prising means for advancing said carton along a path, a frame, a pair of cam plates on said frame adjacent said path and adapted to guide said cover members inwardly to their closed position, a pair of rotatable wings carried by said n frame and actuated by the movement of said carton along said conveyor means, said wings being adapted to position said tongues to enter said slot, closing means comprising a substantially iiat rotating disk carried by said frame for guiding said tongues into said slot, said disc being mounted on the frame for rotation in a plane substantially parallel to the carton path, and means for preadjusting said mechanism to accommodate cartons of varied sizes comprising an adjustable reference surface carried by said frame and lying parallel to the plane of said disk for engaging one side of said carton.

4. A mechanism of the class described for closing a carton having two cover members hinged at opposite sides of said carton, each said cover member having along its free edge a tongue adapted to iit a U-shape guide slot when said cover members are closed, said mechanism comprising means for advancing said carton along a path, a frame, a pair of cam plates on said frame adjacent said path and adapted to guide said cover members inwardly to their closed position, means on said frame for bending said tongues inwardly toward each other, and means comprising a rotating disk carried by said frame and having laterally extending tongue engaging means, said disc being disposed to contact the tongues on the covers of an advancing carton whereby to frictionally engage said tongues and bend them downwardly into alignment with said slot.

5. A mechanism of the class described for closing a carton having two cover members hinged at opposite sides of said carton, each of said cover members having along its free edge a foldable tongue adapted to iit a U-shape guide slot when said cover members are closed, said mechanism comprising conveyor means for ad- 8 l vancing said carton along a path, a frame, a pair of cam plates carried by said frame adjacent said path and adapted to guide said cover members inwardly toward their closed position, a pair of rotatable wings, means carried by said frame supporting said wings to rotate about spaced upright axes one at each side of the carton path for folding said tongues inwardly toward each other, means on said frame for rotating said wings responsive to the movement of said carton and for holding said covers against said cams during the inward folding operation of said wings, a rotating member on said frame between said cams and disposed to engage the tongues on both cover members simultaneously for folding downwardly said tongues into alignment with said slot and guiding said tongues into said slot, and means for forcing said tongues into said slot and closing said cover members.

6. A mechanism of the class described for closing a carton having two cover members hinged at opposite sides of said carton, each of said cover members having along its free edge a foldable tongue adapted to t a U-shape guide slot when said cover members are closed, said mechanism comprising conveyor means for advancing said carton along a path, a base frame supporting said conveyor means, a sub-frame located above and normally resting by gravity on said base frame in straddling relation to the carton path, raising and lowering means connecting said sub-frame to said base frame for simultaneously raising or lowering each part of said sub-frame an equal amount with respect to said base frame in adjusting the mechanism to cartons of different sizes, means on said subframe for positioning said tongues to enter said slot, and an adjustable pressure means on the sub-frame for fully closing said cover, said pressure means being arranged to transfer the weight of the sub-frame and its associated parts to a carton advancing along said path whereby the closing force applied to the carton cover members is supplied solely by the weight of said subframe.

7. A mechanism of the class described for closing a carton having two cover members hinged at opposite sides of said carton, each of said cover members having along its free edge a foldable tongue adapted to fit a U-shape guide slot when said cover members are closed, said mechanism comprising conveyor means for advancing said carton along a path, a base frame supporting said conveyor means, a sub-frame located above said base frame, raising and lowering means connecting said sub-frame to said base frame for simultaneously raising or lowering each part of said sub-frame an equal amount with respect to said base frame, means on said sub-frame for positioning said tongues to enter said slot, and an adjustable pressure means on the sub-frame for fully closing said cover by the weight of said sub-frame, said last mentioned means comprising means pivotally mounting said sub-frame with respect to said base frame, said pivotal mounting being on one side of the center of gravity of said sub-frame, a member on the sub-frame for pressing said cover members into fully closed position under the weight of said sub-frame, and an adjustably mounted spring operatively connecting said sub-frame and base frame and supporting a portion of said weight, whereby the closing pressure on said cover members is controllable.

8. A mechanism of the class described for closing a carton having two cover members hinged at opposite sides of said carton, each of said cover members having along its free edge a foldable tongue adapted to fit a U-shape guide slot when said cover members are closed, said mechanism comprising conveyor means for advancing said carton along a path, a base frame supporting said conveyor means, a sub-frame located above said base frame, raising and lowering means connecting said sub-frame to said base frame for simultaneously raising or, lowering each part of said sub-frame an equal amount with respect to said base frame, means on said sub-frame for positioning said tongues to enter said slot, and an adjustable pressure means on the sub-frame for fully closing said cover by the weight of said sub-frame, said positioning means comprising a pair of cam plates carried by said sub-frame adjacent said path and adapted to guide said cover members inwardly toward their closed position, a pair of rotatable wings carried by said sub-frame for folding said tongues inwardly toward each other, means on said subframe for rotating said wings responsive to the movement of said carton and for holding said covers against said cams during the inward folding operation of said wings, and a rotating member on said sub-frame between said cams for folding downwardly said tongues into alignment with said slot and guiding said tongues into said slot.

9. A mechanism of the character described for closing a carton of the type having a cover member hinged along one edge to a side of the carton, the carton cover member having a marginal tongue portion spaced from and generally paralleling its hinged edge, the carton also having a guide slot for receiving the tongue portion of the cover member in closing the carton, said mechanism comprising means for supporting and advancing a carton along a predetermined path, a cam plate, means supporting the cam plate adjacent the carton path, the cam plate being formed to engage the cover member of an advancing carton and to swing such cover member inwardly to a closed position, a tongue folding member, means supporting the tongue folding member for movement into engagement with the tongue on the cover of an advancing carton, and actuating means for the tongue folding member, said actuating means including an element supported to project into the path of an advancing carton to be engaged by and to move with such carton, the actuating means being arranged to move the tongue folding member into engagement with the carton cover tongue during the movement of the actuating element by the carton.

10. A mechanism of the character described for closing a carton having a cover member hinged along one edge to a side of the carton, the cover member having a marginal tongue portion spaced from and generally paralleling its hinged edge and receivable in a guide slot of the carton during closing of the latter, said mechanism comprising means for advancing a carton along a predetermined path, means engageable with the cover member of an advancing carton and arranged to swing an engaged cover from open to closed position during the advancing movement of the carton, a tongue folding member, means mounting the tongue folding member for cyclic movement over a closed path into and out of engagement with the tongue on the cover of an advancing carton, and actuating means for operating the tongue folding member, said actuating means including an element engageable with an advancing carton to move the tongue engaging member in response to movement of a carton against such element.

11. A mechanism of the character described for closing a carton of the type having a body that includes a guide slot, cover members hinged at their edges along opposite sides of the carton body and having tongues along the edges of the cover members spaced from and generally paralleling the hinged edges, the cover tongues being receivable in the guide slot of the carton during closing of the latter, said mechanism comprising conveyor means for advancing a carton along a predetermined path, frame means, a pair of cam plates carried by the frame means and disposed on opposite sides of the carton path, said cam plates being formed to engage and guide the cover members of an advancing carton to swing the cover members inwardly from open to closed positions, tongue folding members, means mount-l ing the tongue folding members on the frame means for cyclic movement into and out of engagement with the tongues on the cover members of an advancing carton, a substantially circular disc, means mounting the disc for rotation in a plane paralleling the article path, the disc being disposed substantially midway between the cam plates for engaging the folded tongues on the cover members of an advancing carton and guiding such tongues into the guide slot of the carton.

12. A mechanism of the character described for closing a carton of the type comprising a body having a guide slot and cover members hinged along opposite edges o'f the body, the hinge axes paralleling the guide slot, each of the cover members having along one of its edges a tongue adapted to t the guide slot of the body when the cover members are closed, said mechanism comprising a base frame having means for supporting and advancing a carton along a predetermined path with the hinge axes paralleling such path, a sub-frame above the base frame and pivotally mounted on the latter, a pair of cam plates carried by the sub-frame each adjacent the article path, the cam plates being adapted to engage and guide the cover members for movement toward closed positions, means movably mounted on the sub-frame for engaging the tongues of the cover members and directing such tongues into the carton guide slot, and a pressure member on the sub-frame engageable with the Cover members of the carton advancing on the base frame, the sub-frame being so pivoted on the rbase frame that a portion of the weight of the sub-frame is applied yieldingly to the carton through the pressure member for fully closing the cover members of the carton by the weight of the sub-frame.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,624,257 Lane Apr. 12, 1927 2,071,247 Benoit et al Feb. 16, 1937 2,091,426 Benoit Aug. 31, 1937 2,095,258 Kimball et al. Oct. 12, 1937 2,124,845 Cobb July 26, 1938 2,174,426 Talbot Sept. 26, 1939 

